Sunday, October 14, 2007

More than a dozen Saskatchewan institutions receiving public money have some explaining to do to taxpayers on why their names appear as contributors to the Saskatchewan Party.

Under The Election Act, 1996 all political parties registered in Saskatchewan must submit an annual return of the party’s receipts and expenses.

The Registered Political Party’s Fiscal Period Return (E-521) includes information on the contributions to, and expenditures of, registered political parties. The Saskatchewan Party returns for 2004, 2005 and 2006 are available on the Elections Saskatchewan website.

Since 2004, the following organizations and institutions receiving taxpayer dollars in some form or another have contributed to the Saskatchewan Party:

None of the above appears to have contributed to the NDP during the same time period.

The media is well represented on the list of contributors to the Saskatchewan Party. This would seem to confirm the long-held suspicion by many that there exists in the province a right-wing bias when it comes to news reporting. The list of media donors include:

Communications giants Rogers Group of Companies and Shaw Communications Inc. are also supporters having donated $2,710.70 and $3,291.80 respectively.

The lone media donation for the NDP appears to be one made by Rawlco for $1,392.00 in 2004.

From its inception the Saskatchewan Party has been identified with business. In the three year period from 2004-2006 the party received $1,702,683 in corporate contributions, $1,352,684 from individuals and zero from trade unions. In 2006 alone, 880 companies donated to the party.

The NDP by comparison received $646,670.79 in corporate donations, $2,793,847.67 from individuals and just $60,702.90 from trade unions. A mere 52 companies donated to the party in 2006. By far the majority of NDP donations come from individuals whereas with the Saskatchewan Party it’s corporations. This should put to rest the argument of who controls whom. The Saskatchewan Party is clearly beholden to business and industry.

Some notable corporations that have contributed to the Saskatchewan Party since 2004 are:

Some notable individuals that have donated to the Saskatchewan Party since 2004:

Stuart Pollon – Chartered accountant, certified public accountant and senior manager with KPMG in Regina. Pollon is a former Regina Chamber of Commerce board member and was Deputy Chairperson of the 2002 Constituency Boundaries Commission. His wife, Marilyn Braun-Pollon, is Vice-President, Saskatchewan and Agri-Business for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. The CFIB is closely aligned with the Saskatchewan Party.

N. Murray Edwards – President and Owner of Edco Financial Holdings Ltd. Edwards is a director of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives and the Banff Centre, and a member of the Board of the Canada West Foundation and the C.D. Howe Institute.

Trevor Forrest – Executive Director, Saskatoon Community Foundation.

Shirley Ryan – Executive Director of the North Saskatoon Business Association. The NSBA was one of the organizations consulted during the development of the Saskatchewan Party’s EnterpriseSaskatchewan scheme.

Tiffany Paulsen – Saskatoon city councillor and lawyer with Robertson Stromberg Pedersen LLP in Saskatoon, who is also a Saskatchewan Party contributor.

Gordon Wyant – Saskatoon city councillor and lawyer with McKercher, McKercher & Whitmore LLP in Saskatoon, who is also a Saskatchewan Party contributor. Wyant was the business manager for Saskatchewan Party MLA Ted Merriman’s campaign.

Terry Alm – Former Saskatoon city councillor and current Saskatchewan Party candidate for Saskatoon-Eastview.

Mark Regier – Chief Executive Officer, SaskatoonPrairielandPark.

Les Cannam – Past President, Saskatoon Prairieland Park Corporation.

Carol Skelton – Conservative MP for Saskatoon–Rosetown–Biggar. As Minister of Western Economic Diversification (WD) on March 24, 2006, Skelton announced that SaskatoonPrairielandPark would receive $4 million from WD through the Canada Celebrates Saskatchewan initiative to add a 50,000 square foot expansion worth $5 million to complement its current 160,000 square feet of all-under-one-roof trade show and exhibit space. What the WD news release did not say was that, according to Prairieland’s 2006 Annual Report, Skelton was a voting member of the organization at the time.

Jack Brodsky – Governor of the Saskatoon Blades Hockey Club. Brodsky currently serves on the board of PrairielandPark. He is a Past-President of the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce and continues to serve on the Chamber’s Government Affairs Committee.

Donald Funk – Friend of Saskatoon Mayor Don Atchison and former director of LEAD Saskatoon Futures Inc., a political lobby group formed in August 2003 to unseat Mayor Jim Maddin and several left-leaning city councillors. Other directors at the time included Russel Marcoux (CEO, Yanke Group of Companies & Past Chair, Canadian Chamber of Commerce), Coni Evans (Past-President, Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce), Don Ravis (former Conservative MP) and Gary Emde (Realtor).

Dave G. Dutchak – President & CEO of M.D. Ambulance Care Ltd. and President of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce.

Judy Harwood – Board of director of the Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce and Saskatoon Community Foundation. Harwood is also a former president of the North Saskatoon Business Association.

Peter Zakreski – Former Saskatoon city councillor and senior vice-president of Federated Co-operatives Ltd. Chair 2007 World University Summer Games (Saskatoon) Inc. and recipient of the Order of Canada in 2002.

Walter Mah – President, North Ridge Development Corp. in Saskatoon.

Robert B. Pletch – Chairman, MacPherson Leslie & Tyerman LLP.

Brian A. Barrington-Foote – Partner, MacPherson Leslie & Tyerman LLP.

Graham Parsons – President, Organization for Western Economic Cooperation and former Chief Economist for the Canada West Foundation.

Ray Malinowski – President, Ram Industries Inc. in Yorkton. Malinowski is a former member of the Saskatchewan Labour Relations Board representing employers and a past President of both the Prairie Implement Manufacturers Association and the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce.

OH MY GOD! I am stunned the the Unions have failed to balance their NDP donations by contributing to Brad's campaign!!! I'm sure you'll get right on top of fixing that little discrepancy right away, won't you? Yeah, right.